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In this episode of Bench Boost, host Mike Booth sits down with R&D Chemists Liv Forbes and Madeline Gozzi to dive into real-world technical support questions from the lab. From the tricky behavior of mercury in cannabis matrices to the best way to store custom blend standards, the team shares practical advice and insights you can apply directly to your work.

Key topics include:

• Challenges in mercury analysis on ICP-MS — washout, volatilization, and matrix effects
• Practical troubleshooting tips for improving accuracy with mercury standards
• Storage guidelines for custom blends, including when refrigeration is helpful
• How TCT packaging extends stability and shelf life of standards

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In this episode, the Inorganic Ventures team continues their overview of SEAL-compatible Discrete Analyzer Reagents—this time focusing on four essential nutrient and anion methods: chloride, sulfate, phosphate, and ammonia.

Ashley Jones and Liv Forbes break down the key reactions behind each method, including:

• The iron thiocyanate reaction for chloride
• Turbidimetric analysis of sulfate via barium sulfate formation
• The molybdenum blue reaction for phosphate
• A safer variant of the Berthelot reaction for ammonia

They also share storage tips, instrument compatibility notes, and how to adapt these reagents for non-SEAL platforms.

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In this episode, the team dives into colorimetric methods for silica and nitrate analysis using SEAL Discrete Analyzer Reagents developed by Inorganic Ventures. Ashley Jones and Liv Forbes walk through the chemistries behind the molybdate silica method, cadmium coil nitrate reduction, and hydrazine-based nitrate reduction—along with practical maintenance tips for keeping your reduction efficiency in check.

They also discuss how to adapt these reagents for non-SEAL instruments, important considerations like pH and matrix matching, and which IV standards pair best with each method.